As usual for media circus threads, please share your bouquets and brickbats for particular items in the mass media, or highlight cogent analysis or pointed twitterstorms etc in new media. Discuss any current sociopolitical issue (the theme of each edition is merely for discussion-starter purposes – all current news items are on topic!).

7 replies

This one about a Florida teen who helped save the life of an officer who’d just arrested him.
It’s annoying that it takes something like this for the media to recognise the humanity of black teens who are arrested, but it carries a feelgood factor nonetheless.

I don’t have a particular story: but I am intrigued by the addition to the weather forecast “Feels Like:”
What scientific machinery or magic is at work?
I have begun to suspect that when the forecast is done, Fred or perhaps Sharlene is asked to step outside, and they say “Nah, feels like…” Naturally, Fred and Sharlene being True Orstralians always think it’s not that hot/cold.

eilish, I think it’s meant to be a vernacular rendition of stuff like wind chill factor, so it’s talking about measurements that can be rather precisely calculated for the sake of predictions, but I’m guesstrapolating there.

It’s a North American thing I think that seems to be catching on here a bit. When I was in Canada a couple of years ago they were reporting what seemed like crazily high temperatures. It turned out that they were adjusting them upwards to account for humidity. Humidity does make a high temperature seem more unbearable, but it’s not at all the same as when it’s dry and 46.

Disgusted today at the various fawning tributes world leaders have been giving to the just deceased autocratic tyrant King of Saudi Arabia.
Someone posted a comparison of the White House’s measured one paragraph statement on the death of Hugo Chavez vs today’s several paragraphs of treacly tribute to Al Saud. *vomit*